The Things We Remember

I was randomly reminiscing. And somehow I remembered things from my past which have been hidden away in files in my brain. Not forgotten, but not brought back often. I can't remember how we became friends. I don't actually remember talking to her at all in seventh grade, and then somehow in eighth grade, we became really good friends. 

We had first period health together. It was our most dreaded and most "entertaining" class. The boys were very immature and the girls were probably a little, if not more than a little, uncomfortable the entire semester. I remember we were learning about family units in the textbook, and she pointed to the picture of the blended family and then pointed her finger back at herself. 

My job lets me relive my middle school memories every now and then....

We became really close that year. I asked her if she and her mom would go bra shopping with me because it was probably time for me to "upgrade" from the ones my mom had gotten me in 6th grade so I could make it through changing in the locker rooms during gym without being half naked. Her mom drove us to the mall and then went off to shop on her own while my friend and I walked around ourselves. That wasn't how I imagined it, but it was all right. (As an adult being so far removed, thinking back on how I survived adolescence without my mother is unfathomable. I don't know how I made it to present day, but I know I don't want to do it again.)

We talked on the phone when she could sneak in a call. There were many calls which ended abruptly to avoid getting caught. There were a few times I went over to her house and we actually got to hang out. I was her piano accompanist that year. It was one way to get to her house and hang out after our rehearsal. We signed each other's yearbooks at the end of the year and said we'd be friends forever. 

In high school, we slowly began to drift apart. She had other friends she became closer to and I had mine. I do remember she helped me track down the locker combination of the guy I was dating at the time so I could put something in it to surprise him. He told me later he figured that's what she was doing because she stood by his locker for so long. She moved a few years later so we didn't graduate together. I don't think I've spoken to her in nearly 15 years. 

Friendship is special in how it evolves over time. We are not truly friends anymore given we do not know each other's lives beyond what is posted on social media. But I still cherish what we had. Seeing that these memories randomly come back to me and I can still remember exactly which classroom we had health class and the approximate locations of where we sat in reference to the room, it can't mean nothing. I wouldn't have made it through eighth grade without her.